What to look for in a new drum kit. (rock, band)

[vincredible]

Hey everyone.

I've been drumming for about 10 years now, and I recently joined a new band. I have a kit, but it's getting used, and I really would like to try something new. I'm currently using a Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage. I do like the sound since I play mostly rock, and it's a fairly loud and powerful sounding kit considering its low price.

I think it's time for me to get something a little nicer. I don't have several thousand bucks to spend on a high end set, but I'm thinking about double the price range of my current kit, maybe a bit less. Somewhere in the 900-1200 range.

Unfortunately I really don't know what to look for. I like punchy/precise sounds that are powerful enough to drive a heavy rock mix. I really don't know what materials to look for, or brand differentiations, things like that. I know that I can go out and play kits, but there is a small selection in my local shops, and they never have the kits setup with tuning and/or heads that I like, so I don't really get the right idea of what the kit will sound like when I'm playing with my setup.

Any particular brands, wood types/mixes that I should be looking for? Any suggestions? I should know more than this after 10 years, unfortunately I've only ever purchased one kit! So I'm fairly clueless.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.